Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's plan to scrap Australian Workplace Agreements would force on to the Australian economy a workplace relations system that under the previous Labor government left one million Australians unemployed.
Mr Beazley today proposed that Labor would abandon AWAs but did not outline any replacement for the existing arrangements.
He has no plan to ensure the Australian economy continues to grow in the future.
The benefits of a strong economy can not be delivered without a commitment to policy reform in the national interest.
Continued prosperity for Australia is not a given. We can not afford to eschew policy reform. We must continue to push ahead with changes to keep the economy strong and help create more jobs for Australian workers.
Mr Beazley and the Labor Party fail to understand the need to constantly reform and modernise the economy so that we can take advantage of an increasingly competitive global marketplace and deliver jobs, improve productivity and grow wages.
AWAs now play an integral role in the nation's workplace relations culture, with almost one million Australian workers since 1996 enjoying the benefits of making workplace agreements on their terms.
AWAs have delivered higher wages, greater productivity and enhanced satisfaction for employees.
Returning to an outdated workplace relations system dictated by unions would be a giant step backwards for the Australian economy. It would also represent a slap in the face for Australian workers who are reaping the dividend of striking agreements on their terms.
It is clear from Mr Beazley's AWA rollback plan that the Labor Party will do whatever it takes to make the unions happy, even if it is at the expense of Australian workers.